Aston Martin SUV debuts Q4 2019, built at new St Athan site

Aston Martin Lagonda’s second production facility, in St Athan, Wales, is almost complete. It will be the company’s “home of electrification” and it will be the site that builds the upcoming SUV.

The facility already employs around 100 staff, but that number is set to grow to around 200 by the time it is fully commissioned in the first quarter of 2019. Construction of the production line is underway, and the paint shop is already installed. A virtual tour video has been released providing a walk-through of the site (see below).

Over 70 Welsh employees have already spent the last two years at Aston Martin Lagonda’s headquarters in Gaydon, England, training up for the new gig at St Athan. These, in turn, will then train newcomers to the facility as production ramps up.

Aston Martin says the next phase of prototype models will go into production at St Athan early next year. These will include the upcoming SUV, which has just been confirmed to debut in the “last quarter of 2019”, as well as a new wave of electric Lagonda vehicles. Dr Andy Palmer, Aston Martin Lagonda president and CEO, spoke about the new factory, saying:

“The St Athan facility will initially commence with the production of our first SUV but will ultimately be a global centre of excellence for the production of luxury high performance EVs, including Lagonda: the world’s first luxury electric automotive brand.”

Aston Martin predicts that by the first quarter of 2020, employee numbers are set to grow to over 700 as production of the “DBX” ramps up. The company is yet to confirm the name of the new SUV, although a trademark filing suggests it could be called the Varekai. For now, the company is using the name DBX which was given to an early concept pitch.

Brett is the editor and founder of PerformanceDrive. He's obsessed with driving, having played with Matchbox cars until he was tall enough to drive a real one. After initially working as a mechanic, Brett earned a degree in journalism and entered media as an editorial assistant at Top Gear Australia magazine. He then worked at CarAdvice.com.au. His dream is to live next door to the Nurburgring in Germany.